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Because… who’s going to mind?
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I wonder if grifters are taking the same comfort from MAGA as are nazis.
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MAGA is a grift unto itself
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D’ya’think?
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Obviously they didn’t take into account the asymmetric conditions of the game.
Getting busted, locked up indoors in the warm, with three squares and cot isn’t a major loss for a hobo.
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Dammit, why are crime and criminals never as clever and sophisticated as I assume? I keep thinking Lex Luthor, what I get is Florida Man.
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“GoFundMe accountability” is going to be on the tips of our tongues for the next decade.
For instance, the #NoDAPL Standing Rock protest brought in many millions to various groups under the guise of legal defense and logistics etc. and not a penny of it remained, and there’s absolutely no accountability. That kind of money makes legit non-profits drool, especially those that serve indigenous and poor communities.
Having met and observed some of those responsible for raising that money, I’m sure a lot of it went right up their noses.
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There is actually evidence that giving cash directly to poor people to solve their problems as they see fit is dollar-for-dollar more effective than paying the salaries of non-profit administrators along the way (I work at a nonprofit, and have “administrator” in my title, so make of that what you will) but your point certainly stands that throwing $10,000 at a heartwarming story on the internet is not a wise or fairly-distributed investment of your caring-for-humanity dollars.
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Yes. And this is why I don’t give money to folks asking on the street but instead to groups that are providing food, shelter, counseling, etc… But it’s a bit cold and I don’t really blame people for wanting to respond directly when they see or hear that someone is suffering. It is not the best use of resources but it is an exercise in compassion. And heaven knows this world needs compassion!
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“Nature presents gifts not according to the book.”
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I can see that being very true if the problem is simply poverty. I wonder though if, as is the case with many homeless folks near me, the issues are also substance abuse and mental illness.
I completely agree the admin sucks up an alarming percentage of money given (I also once worked in the non-profit sector) but different organizations vary tremendously and the proportions of money going to various ends should be public info, if you do some digging.
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It’s the US, though, so people end up homeless due to medical bills, because some big bank stole their house, or for as little as having the car irreparably break down.
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The homeless are what is known as “judgement proof” in legal circles. They are to be respected and feared, not trifled with since they are free in ways white women with assets and jobs are not.
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That is definitely true, but for the record I said “near me” and I am not in the US.
(But I do recognize that, even in this paradise that is Canada, there are plenty of homeless people who are not mentally ill or chemically dependent or anything like that)
We only hear about the bad ones.
Learned this working retail. The bad thieves have wide eyes, scan everyone, and dont look like they are shopping… no shopping cart, not scanning the isles, etc. The good thieves are never noticed, but of course they are there.
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Economics are very precarious for the vast majority of people in the US, this seemed like a good time to highlight the harsh realities for people who aren’t stuck living here.
[I recalled that you’re not in the US. Got you momentarily confused with another pair-of-shoes avatar who lives in Oz.]
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Is he even really a veteran?
EDIT: Looked it up for myself. The answer is yes, but with an asterisk.
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That Keyser Söze gets around.
